We’ve all heard the saying, sometimes from an overzealous parent and sometimes from a person who simply thinks amphibians are gross: “Don’t touch that toad! It’ll give you warts!” The truth of the matter? It definitely won’t. However, because of their natural and protective accouterment, it’s probably still a good idea to let sleeping toads lie. Show
Why Do We Think Toads Cause Warts?No one really knows exactly where this rumor came from, probably because it’s been around for a long time. Baby boomers and millennials alike have pretty much all been told as children they were going to get warts if they tried to handle toads. Still, it seems like a case of misplaced human logic. Toads have bumps on their backs, the bumps look kind of similar to warts, and warts can be contagious. Therefore, people go around thinking human warts and toad bumps are the same things, and that the latter will cause the former. Frogs seem to have been put in the same boat, mostly because many people can’t tell the two apart even though they have a number of distinctions between them, such as:
Toads Will Not Give You WartsIf you were told toads could give you warts when you were a kid, you can now revel in the fact that this isn’t actually true. There are many different types of warts, around fifty or so, but none of them are caused by toads or frogs. They are instead caused by the human papillomavirus (or HPV), which can result in the multiplication of cells on the outside of your skin, creating a bump. Warts aren’t dangerous, treating them usually isn’t a problem, and in no way are they caused by amphibians. Toad Bumps Probably Still Aren’t Good For YouHowever, this isn’t an endorsement to run outside and start picking up hopping creatures. The bumps that distinguish a toad from a frog and made everyone believe these creatures could cause warts are actually often glands. The glands on certain toads can secrete toxins meant to protect the toad and to keep animals in the wild from eating them. These toxins can also burn human skin in some cases. So, next time you see a bunch of kids handling a toad, you can teach them the facts after reminding them it’s still probably a good idea to put it down. By Julia Tilford, contributor for Ripleys.com
If you are lucky, nothing will happen! However, many frogs have bacteria and parasites that can be harmful to humans including salmonella, which can be a very unpleasant experience. Some frogs secrete toxins from their skin and if you are unlucky enough to lick one of those, serious repercussions could happen. There is no way to know how much of the toxin you ingested and how you will react. Depending on the toxin, you could get very ill, hallucinate or possibly even die. Please do not lick frogs (or toads)! Are frogs hallucinogenic?Some frog/toad toxins are neurotoxins and can be hallucinogenic. There is great risk in neurotoxins as they also interfere directly with the nervous system. They can disrupt your ability to think, move and even interrupt your regular heartbeat. Will you get warts if you touch a frog/toad?No, there are no amphibians that give you warts. This myth has been around for a long time and is probably related to the fact that many frogs and toads have warty looking bumps on their skin. These are glands and do not secrete anything that can cause you to have warts! Although some skin secretions of some amphibians may irritate your skin and cause a rash. Warts are actually caused by viruses. What happens if you freeze a frog?Most frogs will die if you freeze them. However, there are some frog species that can survive freezing temperatures by maintaining a high level of glucose in their blood that acts like antifreeze. Some of the frog will actually freeze, like their bladder, but their blood and vital organs do not freeze. The heart can stop beating and the frog can stop breathing, but it when it thaws out, it will still be alive. If I catch a frog, can I keep it as a pet?Although it is tempting to keep a frog that you find as a pet, it is really a bad idea for a number of reasons. They could carry bacteria, parasites and/or diseases that you do not want in your home. Often wild caught animals die in captivity from stress; they are not used to living in glass cages! It can be really difficult for them to adjust their diet from wild caught food to crickets that are most often used for frogs in captivities. It is also difficult to get the right environmental conditions, including temperature, de-chlorinated water and moisture levels. You also may expose them to chemicals and pathogens from your hands or your home. Certain amphibians are endangered and it is actually illegal to have them as pets! Frogs are awesome and if you really, really want a pet frog than look into captive bred frogs at your local pet store. The can give you instructions on how to properly maintain and feed your pet frog so that it is happy and healthy! What should I do if I find a frog?Admire it, take a picture and let it go. Why do frogs pee on you when you pick them up?They pee to try and make you drop them so they can escape. Many animals will either urinate or defecate when handled or threatened. This is a normal defense mechanism to try and avoid being eaten. Often their urine smells and tastes bad and will make a predator drop them and they can make a quick hop away to safety. I feel pure childish delight when I spot a toad in the garden, and I'm sure the neighbors are much amused when they hear me sing out: "Froggy!" and jump around like the animal I see. When kids visit, we give a toad tour, and they unconsciously mimic him, too:
squatted down with a broad grin. To judge from the clay toad houses and bug- eyed garden sculptures available everywhere, the charm of the toad is widespread. We've been delayed in planting a path edge, and finally noticed that every little pit along the concrete base was a miniature cave housing a tiny toad or frog, the happy result of building a pond last year. As each female lays up to 8,000 eggs, there were many thousands of tadpoles that gradually developed legs and metamorphosed shortly after Easter. In the weeks that followed, we had to watch our steps because there were little hopping dark spots everywhere in the evenings. Their numbers were so great that our lawn man stopped using the mower in certain areas, fearing mass slaughter. Frogs and toads are important in the garden, not only as insect eaters, but also as the sign of a healthy environment. Because chemicals are absorbed right through the skin of amphibians, a large population of them shows that your soil is in good shape, and their decline marks the degradation of your garden soil. Now that I know where they live, I watch more closely and find that as soon as the sun goes down, they all appear simultaneously at their dirt cave entries, gawking with their funny golden eyes. The more kids see and play with toads and butterflies, the more interest and affection they develop for wild things, but of course, you want their play to be respectful observation, not torture. And toads and frogs are easily tortured. Not only do all wild things find our interest in them frightening and the feel of our hands disgusting, but amphibians have soft bodies and delicate, absorbent skin. You might think it's OK to pick up a frog because your hands are "clean," but if you've used soap, sunscreen or lotion, it may be excruciating to the animal. Frogs have been used in cosmetic testing for just that reason. Also boding ill for frog futures is the way they grow, as toads and frogs develop in transparent egg sacs or strings, clearly displaying the effects of scientific experimentation. Frogs don't "drink"; they absorb water and oxygen through their skins, so touching their skin may feel like someone handling your lungs. They also have the unusual trait of swallowing with their eyes sinking down, which forces down their food, and they blink whenever they catch a bug with their long tongues. When we water the sidewalk, the toads (either annoyed or excited because they think it's raining -- we don't know which) come waddling out. It's lots of fun to observe the differences between the fat Western toads with stripes up their backs and the pale beige, smooth tree frogs, much slimmer and jumping like fleas, sticking easily to the siding of the house. This year's toad babies are now about 2 inches long, but I've only seen one of the mature 5- inch size. Pool owners know that the chlorinated water they swim in quite comfortably is lethal to frogs. The chemically treated water passes right through their skins, bloating and killing them. It helps to leave a floating toy in your pool, so they can get out of the water. For your own well-being, as well as frogs', you should use chlorine carefully. At the toadlet size, they are a delicious bird snack. Once I was weeding with my ducks "helping," and I looked up upon hearing a tiny shriek. I was dismayed to see a toad struggling in a duck bill, and sure enough, the duck was startled enough to drop him! Toads bury themselves during the day where it's moist, and if you have healthy soil, I'll bet there's one under every leaky garden faucet. You can find him by gently digging about, although you might make him mad. I confess: I love to make toads come out so kids can see them, but it unquestionably interferes with toad happiness. -- Toads like to site their homes at the base of walls, avoiding the wide open spaces that expose them, so spraying your foundation for insects kills the very creature that would be eating them. Once I washed windowsills with a cleaning solution, and the drip line brought out a toad or two, and I found one dead two hours later. -- It is actually illegal to capture tadpoles to raise, but many do anyway. Be aware that tadpoles in an aquarium often develop very poorly and may not survive for long. -- For toads, dampness is essential, and a pond even better. Toads wedge themselves into hiding places by inflating internal air sacs, so rocky hiding places help protect them from bird beaks. |